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Monday, August 20, 2012

Joey Kovar And What Could Have Been

Joey Kovar passed away late
last week. While most media outlets and gossip sites have extensively discussed
his appearances on “reality” shows like The Real World and Celebrity Rehab, a lot of folks may be a surprised to learn that Joey was an aspiring
professional wrestler who had, at one point in his life, pursued a career in
the business. After Kovar's stints on reality shows, his reputation for partying hard and crashing even harder was known to many. Despite that, there were a a few folks in the wrestling world who were willing to take a chance on him.

I remember seeing Kovar backstage when he showed up for a guest appearance at last year’s POWW’s
WrestleRage IX show in Elk Grove, Illinois. I didn’t know a lot about Joey’s
work in reality television, but I remember how he was warmly greeted by everyone
in the POWW lockerroom and the Chicago-area crowd that night. Early in the
evening, I stood just a few feet away from Joey as he talked with one of the
other guys backstage about his struggles with addiction and how he really felt
like he had gotten his priorities straight in life, both for his own sake and
for that of his growing family. Joey seemed to really
appreciate the benefits of sobriety as well as the support of family and
friends, including the men and women of POWW.

I learned of Joey’s passing
late last Friday after I saw a status update posted by POWW owner Jim Blaze.
Jim fondly recalled Joey’s charisma and potential as an in-ring performer and
indicated that he had firmly believed that Kovar might have had a shot at the
big leagues had he stuck with pro wrestling. I talked with Blaze by phone over
the weekend and he shared some personal insight on Joey’s aspirations and the
challenges he faced in recent years.

Blaze explained that he came
to know Kovar through a mutual acquaintance, Dave Williams of Windy City
Wrestling. At Williams' suggestion, Blaze invited Kovar to train at POWW’s wrestling
school in Lakemoor, Illinois. “I knew about his problems with drugs and all that from seeing him on television, but I gave him a shot. We
bonded instantly,” Blaze recalled. “We both were picked on in school because we
loved wrestling, and Joey’s dream -- like mine -- was to be a pro wrestler.” For several
months, Kovar trained at the POWW facility and showed some promise. “His goal was to be in TNA, and I honestly thought I
could make it there.”

About four months into the POWW
program, Kovar expressed a desire to move a little closer to home. He picked up
some more training at a facility near Joliet, Illinois, but, according to Blaze, Joey
fell back into old habits and ended up back in rehab shortly thereafter. “He
called me when he got out,” Blaze said. “Everybody knew what had happened.
He said he wanted to give it another shot and he came to a few shows. After a
while, I asked if he wanted to do some commentary at a show and he was really
excited.” Their discussion led to Kovar’s appearance at WrestleRage IX in which
he walked to the ring, picked up a microphone, and told the audience about the
hard times he’d endured and his desire to finally make an positive impact in the
wrestling business. The same night, Kovar had a brief dust-up
with TNA’s Robbie E in which he foiled Robbie’s vicious in-ring attack on Blaze. The crowd loved it and it seemed like Joey finally had a home in the
squared circle. "I knew he was clean at WrestleRage," Blaze said with a smile. "He had the right people around him and I guess I felt like it was time to give him his dream."

However, Blaze lost touch
with Kovar again after last year’s show. “He’d send me texts once in a while,
checking in and sharing inspirational messages," Blaze said. "He was very spiritual and shared a lot of motivational
ideas with people. That’s what he did best and that’s what a lot of us will remember him for.”

Blaze addressed Kovar’s
passing in a talk with the POWW lockerroom shortly before their show on
Saturday night. “A lot of jaws dropped when I told them the news because quite
a few of them didn’t know Joey had died," he said. "I reminded them that we all have our
demons and that it’s a matter of everybody sticking together, helping each
other through things, and overcoming those demons.”

In my life outside of
wrestling-themed pursuits, I’ve spent the better part of two decades working
closely with scores upon scores of people in various stages of the addiction
cycle. It’s a difficult and often tragic situation. It’s often exhausting and
discouraging because while there are plenty of touching tales of success and
redemption, there are many, many more stories that end in tragedy, with a
promising life cut short as friends and family are left to grieve and wonder
what could have been. By all accounts, Joey Kovar was the victim of his own
excesses and his death was extremely unfortunate. During his lifetime, though,
he enjoyed the support of fans and admirers and he was fortunate enough to get
a shot at living his dream when he trained with wrestlers of POWW Entertainment.
Jim Blaze deserves recognition for being one of the people who still believes
in giving individuals a second chance despite their emotional baggage and
personal struggles. Sometimes, given the right circumstances and a little luck, that kind of gesture makes all of the difference in the life of a troubled
person.Mike BesslerContributing Writer@OfficialPWI Contributor